James A. Strong (born November 16, 1954) is a former college football coach. He was the

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

for four seasons, and served as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator at Notre Dame. Strong joined head coach Lou Holtz' staff at

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

in 1983, and followed him to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and eventually Notre Dame.LOU HOLTZ DENIES ALLEGATIONS
''Deseret News'', July 10, 1988, Accessed December 17, 2008. At Notre Dame, Strong had a successful tenure as offensive coordinator and offensive backfield coach, including the 1988 national championship season. In December 1989, Strong was named the head coach of the football program at the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

. In making the hire, the UNLV

Athletic Director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches an ...

asserted Strong's background in recruiting, his energy, and the success of Notre Dame. His initial contract was for five-years at a salary of $95,000 a year.A Leader for Rebels
''Associated Press'', December 23, 1989, Accessed December 17, 2008. Strong arrived at a UNLV program that had fallen under the shadow of the highly successful men's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

program under

Jerry Tarkanian Jerry Tarkanian (August 8, 1930 – February 11, 2015) was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball for 31 seasons over five decades at three schools. He spent the majority of his career coaching with the UNLV Runnin' Rebe ...

; in his first meeting with the university Faculty Senate, he noted "They don't know us because we are a premier academic institution. We will be someday. But they know us because we've got a basketball team that won the national championship."Robert Reihold
Campus Put on the Map by a Team
''The New York Times'', April 4, 1990, Accessed December 17, 2008. After leaving UNLV, Strong changed careers and became a real estate broker in

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postm ...

.Joe Hawk
Absence of 6-8 Estandia leaves UNLV football team with big what-if
''Las Vegas Review-Journal'', September 28, 2004, Accessed December 17, 2008.Mark Anderson

''Las Vegas Review-Journal'', August 4, 2008, Accessed December 17, 2008.

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Jim 1954 births Living people Arkansas Razorbacks football coaches Minnesota Golden Gophers football coaches Missouri Southern Lions football players Missouri Southern State University alumni Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coaches UNLV Rebels football coaches